hunting the red lotus
by kcctaiga
Summary: she had been running her whole life, but something changed when she met him, but she would never know that what changed was her [entirely new cast of oc's, accepting oc's for inclusion, takes place between books 3 and 4]
1. new world

When I walked into the temple for the first time I thought I would be safe but then just a few days after I walked through the doors everyone there was kidnapped, everyone except me that is. You see I've been running my whole life and when everyone was attacked I just did what came naturally, so I ran. Yes I know not very brave but I haven't survived by being brave as much as being clever. I'm no hero I know that but I never wanted to be one, as a child I was always afraid because I was always being hunted an no one would help me so why should I worry about anyone else.

So I left, I couldn't go back to the temple despite master Tenzin begging me to return saying that they needed all the air benders they could get but I just couldn't, I went their seeking safety but there was none to be had so I had no purpose being there. So instead of being a crusader for a cause I didn't really understand I left to find my own way in the world, this is how I found it, this is how I became who I am today, this is how I went from a scared little girl running her whole life to become part of a legend but most of all this is the story of how I met him and how he changed my life.

I ran through the forest… again, seems like I've been doing this a lot lately damn bounty hunters won't take a hint, guess I can't really blame them since I'm their meal ticket but still, pricks. I knew these woods better than most, probably a sign that I should move on soon but for now it was my advantage as I could hear them getting caught in the vines as I moved unimpeded across the wooded ground and overgrown rocks.

What I didn't know was what else lurked in these woods today but I would soon find out. When I vaulted over a rock I ran straight into something. My eyes blurred as I looked up to find not a tree as I expected but another large solid object, namely a man. He was a few inches taller than I but was no by any means massive, despite his modest size he had not seemed to budge when I had slammed into him, he wasn't knocked over or even stumble.

I looked up at him wide eyed in fear and scrambled backwards, and that was when I noticed the axe in his hand. Making my way to my feet I made for the woods as fast as I could and I almost made it too but was that much too slow as something wrapped around my ankle, tripping me mid stride. I looked back to the man but he hadn't moved. Looking back to my ankle I saw a net wrapped around my feet, at first I thought he threw it but as a bounty hunter came over the rock "got her" he screamed

As a few more moved through the brush, one of them looks over at the first guy and says "lucky throw, even a blind monkey-squirrel finds a nut occasionally". This is it I think, I'm done for, if I'm lucky ill just be killed, if not I don't want to think what they'll do if they take me alive. I close my eyes and pray for the end to be swift as they begin closing in.

After a minuet I hear screaming, have I lost my mind in fear already and not realized it's me that's screaming? No, I open my eyes to see the guy with the axe standing with his back to me, under him is a bloody corpse of what once been a bounty hunter "YOU BASTARD, YOU KILLED JAEGU YOU'RE A DEAD MAN YOU HEAR ME" one of the bounty hunters yells at him, just now I'm starting to get it. As I see blood drip from his axe.

As one of the men draws a spear off of their backs and charges at him he rushes forward cutting the spear down the middle before burying his axe in the man's chest and cleaving him in half with a solid splatter of crimson mist. The last three hunters begin to run forward with a terrified madness in their eyes, a look of desperation is as close as I could describe it.

Alas for them none of them make it that far as he lifts his axe overhead and bring it down with tremendous force, so much so that it sent a wave of energy through the earth that cracked the ground, that alone would not have deterred the men but they were all impaled as spikes of jagged earth rose from the ground. It wasn't a fight it was a bloodbath, no challenge, no chance any of them could have made it out alive, this guy was way out of these guys league or anyone I had ever seen for that matter.

His cloak fluttered in the wind as I remained frozen in shock on the ground while he grew ever closer to me with every step. As he leaned over me I couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't do anything but wait. Then he leaned down and pulled out a knife, I panicked and tried to vigorously tear at the netting until his hand landed on top of mine sending a shockwave through my entire body. Then in a weirdly act I wouldn't expect from someone who just slaughtered a group of bounty hunters he cut the net around my legs before turning and walking away.

I looked at him confused, I wanted to do something, say something but my throat had locked up and I couldn't speak. As he disappeared into the woods I just sat there like a log, like I was waiting for something to happen like an idiot when he looked over his shoulder and said "you gonna lay there all day or what?"

Without thinking I just kind of nodded my head absently, he lets out a sigh and shakes his head "fine suit yourself" he said in a bored tone as he walked away into the forest.

I got to my feet and ran after him, "hey" I shouted after him he stopped and turned to look at me expectantly. Good job I thought, way to make a fool of yourself "thanks for, ya know saving me" I said lamely.

"No problem" he said and turned to walk again.

Great, what an idiot I am so I walked after him "where you headed" I asked trying to make conversation.

"North" he said flatly

"Mind if I tag along" I asked

"Sure" he said and kept walking

"So what's your name" I asked

"Jin" he said in the same bored tone, which by the way was starting to get on my nerves. Don't get me wrong I'm not exactly a people person but this guy took that to a new level, but still he did save me.

"Well I'm Ya-sun, I'm new around here, mind showing me around once we hit town?" I asked

"I'm not from around here" he said

"Oh, sorry" I said way to go me way to make assumptions "so what you doing up here"

"Work" he said, I'm starting to get really tired of one word answers

"So what do you do for work" I ask still trying to be polite.

He looks at me and raises an eyebrow "I'm a contract worker"

As he looked at me I got a good look at him for the first time, the first thing I noticed was his eyes they were so green and deep that I almost forgot what I was doing and that's with the one eye I could see. Next was the scars, lots of them only one on his face that was under his left eye running vertically but his arms from what I could see were just covered in scars. His hair was unkempt and longer than most men but not overly long. He had a couple of days worth of scruff where he hadn't shaven that made him look rugged for lack of a better word.

But as I had been staring at him for a moment he became self-aware and hid his face by pulling up his hood over his head and turning away from me "my camp is a few miles out" he said flatly while proceeding forward. I trailed behind him for a while not wanting to make eye contact after pushing my luck like before until he spoke "I've been contracted by the president of republic city"

My heart began to race, was this guy another bounty hunter, if so what were my chances if he decided to snap on me, in short not good. But then he continued "my contract is working security for one of the governors protecting his city from bandit attacks" he said.

I breathed a sigh of relief letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding when he continued "those bandits back there were actually pretty high on my list for everything from murder to bounty hunting, with the discord in the earth kingdom the world governments aren't looking to kindly on unsanctioned vigilantism right now so thanks for luring them out"

I let out an dark chuckle and said "anytime"

"So what brings you out here" he asked "besides them of course?"

"Running"

"From what" he said looking at me

"Everything" looking away

"While poetic being deliberately vague will get you nowhere around these parts" he said looking back forward.

"Nothing that concerns you" I said harshly

"whatever, if you don't wanna tell me I won't force you, doesn't matter much to me but help to know if I should be expecting more visitors" he said coldly

"It wouldn't be unreasonable to be prepared" I said

"Good to know" he replied pushing a tree branch out of the way and continuing down the path.

As we walked in silence after an hour or so I saw a campfire ahead in a clearing with a man sitting at it "OI" Jin called out "lee, make room at the fire"

"What? You bring a home a stray cat or something?" the man at the fire yelled back as he pulled up another log next to the fire.

"Something like that" Jin replied

When I walked up the man at the fire was on me in a second, not aggressively you see in fact it was the just the opposite he was a little too friendly. "Oh, hey. What's your name?" he asked in what I guessed was his most suave voice he could muster, not bad but I'd seen better to be honest.

"ya-sun" I said politely as I could, he wasn't bad looking but not nearly as charming as he thought he was. He was a few inches taller than Jin but much skinnier with not near as much muscle. Lee also had an eye patch over his right eye and a small scar underneath it

He looked down at me and said "I'm lee, Jin's younger brother. So how'd you two meet?" he said as nonchalantly as he could manage though also clearly jealous.

"She was being chased by Jaegu's band and ran into me so she lead them right to me, that means only five more targets left in this district" Jin yelled over his shoulder from the campfire.

"Really?" lee asked surprised "well just got here and already making yourself useful, knew their was a reason I liked you" he said with a smile

"Um… thanks, but I hadn't planned on staying long" I replied

"Oh" he said with a deflated ego "well, you're welcome to stay if you want, surely you could use some coin, everybody can these days" he said hopefully

It was true I definitely did need the coin, being a fugitive was not the most lucrative of businesses. "Um, sure. I guess I could stay around for a while" I said hesitantly

"Great" he replied ecstatically "you hear that Jin, ya-sun said she'd join us, our hunting party gets bigger"

"Yeah, I heard ya I think so did most of Omashu, loudmouth" Jin snipped back at him. "Don't forget that we still have more targets, try not to broadcast exactly where we are to them if you would, I'd like to not be killed in my sleep"

"Right, right sorry bro" lee replied smiling like an idiot and absently rubbing the back of his head with his right hand. "So with Jaegu down who's next?" he asked

"Karuk the boar," jin said stirring the with a stick "earth kingdom reports place him thirty miles to the east of here, we head out at dawn, make sure you get a good nights rest"

"Yeah, yeah" he said waving him off "so ya-sun what can you do?"

"Well, I not much good in a fight up close but I know how to hunt" I said

"Well that's no good, maybe I can give you some private lessons" he offered trying to be smooth again.

"Thanks, but if you had a bow or something I could use I know how to hit a target" I offered

"I have my father's old hunting bow somewhere around here" he grumbled

"I'll be much more useful with something I know how to use already" I replied with a polite smile. He downtroddenly made his way over to his tent and went inside briefly only to return with an immaculate cherry wood bow, it was beautifully designed with an image of a bear engraved on the arc next to it laid a simple leather quiver full of twenty or so arrows.

I took one out and drew back my aim "real crack shot are you?" teased lee and threw an apple into the air, oh I wish jin had seen the look on his face when I shot it out of the air and pinned it to a tree.

As he sat there mouth agape I smirked at him and said "something like that" before turning an walking back towards jin.

"You sure do know how to pick em Jin" lee said from behind me still prying his apple from the tree. "Hey ya-sun since you don't have a tent you can share mine" he said

"Don't even think it" Jin says with a sense of finality "you'll be taking mine, I'll stay up and keep watch, our target is to close for my liking for me to sleep anyway" I sighed in relief, lee was nice enough but he was a little too clingy for me. With a small thank you to Jin I went into his tent and laid down knowing that tomorrow would be a long day.

Early the next morning I woke up comfortably, how long had it been since I'd been able to sleep that long? As I walked outside I felt a slight chill in the air and looked around to find jin still at the campfire eating some type of fried meat, when I walked over he offered me a plate that I graciously accepted, once again I thought about how long it had been since I had some sense of normality like a good nights sleep or a proper meal.

It was actually quite peaceful, that was right up until lee woke up and began to blabber about something or other, I don't remember as I tuned him out. We ate in silence, mostly because lee's mouth was full, and it was nice, I hadn't just sat down with people and ate in years, talking of mundane things over a campfire. It was nice, a girl could get used to this.

**[authors note: I've had this idea kicking around in my head for a while but the plot bunnies ambushed me last night and kind of forced me to do this. so what do you think, i like the way it turned out as a bit more grungy take on how real life would be in the world of avatar. anyway if anyone is interested, I'm looking for a beta reader/ someone to bounce ideas off of]**


	2. rise and shine

After breakfast lee and jinn began breaking down camp while ya-sun went to a nearby stream to freshen up. "So" lee said to Jin "the new girl, what's her story"

"Dunno" Jin replied "didn't feel like sharing"

"That so, not like you to go on blind faith" lee accused

Jin turned to look at him "if you're trying to say something then just say it" he barks back.

"All I know is you don't usually take no for an answer just saying you're trusting her a little too easily" lee replied

"So are you" Jin accused

"Yeah but I always do, you're supposed to be the mean one" lee challenged

"Oh so I have to be aggressive to everyone I meet, that it" Jin asked

"You don't have to but you usually are" Lee pointed out

"So what" Jin taunts "you want me to go down and cut her head off, that make you feel better?"

Lee sighed "That's not what I'm saying"

"Then what are you say exactly because you're not making any sense" he asked

"I'm just wondering, for arguments sake, why her?" Lee asked

"Why her what?" Jin asked frustratedly

"I'm willing to accept that you're not a dick to everyone just most people, so why he, what makes her special?" Lee asked confusedly

"I don't know, she's nothing special just a girl I met in the woods that watched me kill five people, she not different" Jin explained

"Then why" lee asked

"Oh my god, why, why, why, do you know any other fucking words?" Jin shouts

Lee frustratedly sighed "fine, I'll drop it, for now"

"Thank you" he mocks ""anyway we need to be underway soon, go get her would ya"

'No I don't think I will" he replied

"Fine I'll do it then" he exasperatedly replied

"Have fun" lee mocks with a wink.

As ya-sun washes herself in the river her clothes lay discarded on a branch drying. she washes the dried blood from her body watching as it breaks off in flakes only to be swept away but the gentle current of the river. The sight of the blood being cleansed forced her to accept the reality of the situation, she had been running her whole life and she knew just how cruel people could be but jin was something else.

He had saved her from a fate unimaginable and she thanked him for it but at the same time he had killed all those people and by the sound of the contract he descried it was not the first time and that unnerved her. She generally thought of him as a decent person but she knew that she didn't really know anything about him but despite that she trusted him and that was dangerous.

With no real reason but that he had been at the right place at the right time and had a vendetta against the people who were chasing her she had decided to trust him. She didn't know him, his goals or who he really was and yet she had stayed the night when he could have easily killed her in her sleep so she decided from now on she would have to be wary of Jin.

Lee was a different story all together she knew his type, he wanted one thing and that wasn't friendship but she could deal with that. She knew she was pretty and that men were sleazy but she could find solace in that as long as she gave men like that some type of hope that one day they might have a chance then they'd willingly wrap themselves in knots around her finger. Even then she couldn't help but feel that he wasn't exactly the absent minded idiot that he tried to portray himself as so he too would have to be watched.

If nothing else she could use them until they outlived their usefulness then drop them like rotten cabbage. The gentle current of the stream had washed away her sense of awareness as she bathed in the river until she heard a crack. She looked over her towards the sound of the noise shouting  
>"whose there"<p>

Jin came through the brush pushing a branch out of the way as he did, "it's me" he said.

She quickly ducked under the water and grabbed a stone from the river bed and chucked it at his head "DUDE, a little privacy" she yells angered

As the rock soared through the air he reached out his hand and caught it without flinching and crushed it into dust with earth bending. "We're leaving in half an hour" he said and turned to walk away before turning and saying "and by the way, don't flatter yourself"

She watched as his figure retreated into the woods chuckling lightly to himself, she couldn't have anyone around her right now. Not because she was naked, she was many thing but shy wasn't one of them, self-conscious now that was another thing. But unlike most people she had reason to be, she knew how dirty and dark the world could be and she knew that most men only wanted one thing but she didn't care.

What she didn't want him to see was the scars, every time someone learned about them they treated her differently like she was broken or like she needed protecting and the last thing she wanted was to be treated like an invalid. He didn't see them did he? He couldn't have because he didn't do anything and anyone who had seen them always had. Whatever she'd burn that bridge when she got to it.

As she waded out of the stream she absently traced over those same scars with her finger tips, trying not to think about how she got them. As she dried herself off however her mind wandered and went back to the dark places of her mind that she never wished to revisit, just flashes of course as always. The man, her cowering into the corner helplessly crying, the knife, and mostly the blood.

She shuddered at the thought and forced herself to snap back to reality, she began to slide her clothes back on to get underway, eager to occupy her mind.

Back at camp lee was just finished snuffing out the campfire when Jin came emerged from the tree line and into the open "how'd it go?"

"How'd what go?" Jin said dismissively

"Oh you know what I'm talking about" Lee replied with a sly smile.

"Not a clue" he replied in a bored tone.

"come on bro, you don't have to play me like that, she's quite the looker ya have to admit, so see anything good" he harassed

"Don't know what you're talking about" Jin said picking up his pack

"YOU TOTALLY DID DIDN'T YOU" Jin exclaimed before hushing his voice and saying "you lucky dog" while sling his arm over Jin's shoulder

"Oh shut up would ya" Jin barked and pushing him away. At this point ya-sun had just began to make her way through the trees into the open

"Hey boys" she said "so what on the plate today" she asked

Well, first I think we should get to know each other lee said hopefully

Karuk the boar Jin stated plainly

Lee lets out a defeated sigh "fine straight to business"

We head north to Shang li village

Wait I thought you said he was out east lee protested

He is according to the earth kingdom reports Jin replied flatly

So why are we heading north ya sun asked

"We head to Shang li, from their we travel by ostrich horse to the east" Jin explained "unless you'd rather walk of course" he mocked

No thank you lee replied immediately

Why not take a car ya-sun suggested

"They're certainly fast but the terrain we need to cross is to rugged for a car, if we were taking them it'd be twice as long around and we'd have to fight from the main road. Now I'm not afraid, I can hold my own, but I assume you two don't want to try a frontal assault on a bandit compound?" jin inquired of his comrades

"I'll pass" lee replied

"Me too" ya-sun seconded

"Then we head north" he finished and began walking off

**[Authors note: sorry it took so long to get the second chapter up but with broken and bloodstained in the heat of its second arc, that kinda took priority, p.s. still accepting oc's to play a role in the story]**


End file.
